Forest dump site under investigation

Thursday

May 31, 2007 at 12:01 AMMay 31, 2007 at 12:25 AM

BY FRED HIERSSTAR-BANNER

OCALA - A three-acre dump site of used motor oil, batteries, scrap metal and other potentially hazardous materials in the Ocala National Forest is the focus of an investigation by the U.S. Forest Service and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
In addition to waste littering the ground, Forest Service personnel found that portions of the site were also used to dig pits to bury unwanted materials. Those pits have not yet been uncovered.
"It's potentially criminal," said District Ranger Rick Lint about the three-acre site discovered last week. "That's why law enforcement is investigating it."
Lint manages the 384,000-acre Ocala National Forest.
The site in question is in the Shockley Heights area off County Road 445 near the Marion-Lake County border.
Illegal dumping in the National Forest carries with it a sentence of up to six months in jail or a $5,000 fine. But if the dumping was severe enough, additional charges could be brought by prosecutors, Lint said.
He said he wouldn't know the cost of cleaning up the mess until more information was available about the debris buried there. "But I guess we'll find out quick when we dig it up," Lint said.
It is unknown if the buried material poses a risk to groundwater until the items are excavated.
The site, in the southern portion of the Forest, abuts a residential property, but Lint said investigators were still trying to determine if the homeowner was involved in the illegal dumping.
Lint said investigators have not been able to contact the homeowner, but indications are that he still lives in the home.
Lint said the first part of the investigation is to have Forest Service surveyors determine the property line between the Forest and the adjoining homeowner's property. But Lint said he was confident the dumping was on Ocala National Forest land.
FDEP spokesman Jeff Prather said FDEP criminal investigators were in the process of investigating the site, but he could not comment more about the issue.
Lint said the DEP was involved in the investigation because potentially hazardous items were buried there.
Mike Bowen, a volunteer forest ranger who discovered the site, said he was surprised by the extent of what he found on the three acres.
"There was even a dog and hog kennel [they] built, including a septic system for the kennels," Bowen said. "You could see it bubbling up from the ground. They didn't construct the septic system very well."
"They've also buried motor oil and engines. It's a horrendous thing," Bowen said.
He estimated the cleanup could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Forest Service spokeswoman Denise Rains said she could not comment on specifics of the case because it was an ongoing investigation.
But Lint said even though much about the dump site was still unknown, he wanted the public to know about such investigations and what the Forest Service was up against in trying to keep the Forest clean.
"There are a lot of issues in the Forest" beyond illegal dumping, Lint said.
Forest law enforcement officers routinely uncover illegal drug manufacturing, he said, and receive complaints about inappropriate sexual behavior and other criminal activity.
"I go from issue to issue. It's never a dull moment," Lint said.
Finding illegal dump sites in the Forest is not unique, according to Lint, although they usually are not as large as the one discovered last week.
"This afternoon they could find 10 more, but we're committed," he said.
Illegal dumping is so prevalent, the Forest Service regularly helps organize cleanup activities. The next is scheduled for June 9-10.
That cleanup is targeting 320 major trash piles in the Forest, 19 abandoned and gutted boats, 63 automobiles and an estimated 2,000 tires.
People wanting to help during the June cleanup can call Bowen at (352) 288-3228.
Lint said he relies on the public to inform him about any illegal activities they see in the Forest.
"We need the community," he said. "We want people to help."
Fred Hiers may be reached at fred.hiers@starbanner.com or (352) 867-4157.

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